Insulator locking pin



Nov. 29, 1966 H. c. PRESTON 3,283,917

INSULATOR LOCKING PIN Filed Sept. 17, 1965 Harold C. Presfon ZNVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,288,917 INSULATOR LOCKING PIN Harold C. Preston, 12 Linden St., Avon, N.Y. Filed Sept. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 488,162 2 Claims. (Cl. 174-150) The present invention relates to insulators and more particularly to high-tension porcelain-type insulators utilizing retaining means for stringing the insulators in rows or columns.

The high-tension insulators with which the locking pin device of the present invention is used are of conventional construction, being fabricated of dielectric porcelain material or the like, the insulators normally being suspended on transmission towers in order to insulatingly space apart high-tension wires or lines. The insulators are normally strung in vertical columns, being releasably connected together by interlocking connecting means. In the past, cotter pin type connecting means have been used with such insulators, but cotter pins have proved to be generally unsatisfactory in that they tend to slip out of the connecting position under stress since they are not very rigid, and further cotter pins are not reusable when they are once deformed and removed and thus have a limited usefulness.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide novel means for releasably retaining high-tension type insulators in stacked or strung condition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a heavy-duty retaining pin for use with insulators which eliminates the necessity for close tolerance fit between insulator caps and stems as well as eliminating the requirement of gauging the insulator and pin for close tolerance fit.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide reusable heavy-duty retaining pins which may be quickly and cheaply fabricated from readily available materials.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial elevational view of a column of insulators utilizing the locking pin comprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of the insulator locking pin of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings with more particularity, reference numeral generally denotes a column of insulators in which the insulator locking pin denoted by reference numeral 12 is used. The insulators include a porcelain or other dielectric insulating material forming body member 14, the body member having a generally conical stem portion 16 integral therewith and extending upwardly from the top center thereof. Each insulator body member 14 has a steel hanging pin 18 mounted therein as at 20 and extending downwardly from the bottom center thereof.

The hanging pins 18 are connected to the insulator body 14 by being moved upwardlyinto the centrally positioned downwardly opening hole 22 and being cemented therein. The hanging pins 18 include a body portion 24, top mounting portion 26 for positioning in the hole 22 and an enlarged head 28.

3,288,917 Patented Nov. 29, 1966 A base cap 30 of steel or similar material is provided for use with each insulator, thebase caps being generally bell-shaped in configuration and having a central open portion for receiving the stem 16 therein. The base cap 30 is normally cemented on the stem 16, the cement being provided between the outer peripheral surface of the stem and the inside of the central opening.

The base cap 30 includes a recess 32 for receiving the head 28 of hanging pin 18. A slot 34 is formed in the front face of base cap 30, the slot 34 including an upper narrow portion 36 and a lower wider portion 38, whereby the enlarged head 28 of hanging pin 18 may be positioned in the recess 32. There is also included an upwardly directed opening 40 in base cap 30 through which the body portion 24 of hanging pin 18 extends. Thus, it will be appreciated that a plurality of insulators may be hung in a vertical column by the hanging pin of an upper insulator being positioned in the base cap of a lower depending insulator.

A retaining means comprising an insulator locking pin generally denoted by reference numeral 42 is provided to lock the enlarged head portion 28 of hanging pins 18 in the base caps 30 thereby insuring that a depending insulator will not be jarred loose from its supported position even when great stresses are directed thereagainst. The locking pin 42 includes a pair of identical body members 44 and 46 which are fastened together by conventional rivets 48 which extend through mounting holes 50 and 52 therein, thereby comprising a body portion 54 of the pin. A pair of diverging legs 56 and 58 extend outwardly from said body portion 54 and terminate in out turned feet 60 and 62, which feet are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of body portion 54. At the other end of the body portion 54 are a pair of arms 64 and 66 which normally lie in the same plane as opposite body members 44 and 46, but which are bendable outwardly on lines 68 and 70. Thus, by viewing FIG- URE 3, it will be appreciated that the locking pin 42, with the arms 64 and 66 still straight, is positioned in slot 38 arm end first. Of course, it will be appreciated that the locking pin 42 is not inserted in the slot until after the base cap 30 has been hung from the upper hanging pin 18. After being inserted, the arms 64 and 66 are spread apart by a tool such as a screwdriver or the like which is extended through the rear opening 72 of the slot 38, at which time the arms 64 and 66 will be lockingly engaged against the shoulders of enlarged portion 74 of slot 72. When so positioned, the feet 60 and 62 will be positioned against the shoulders 76 and 78 formed in slot 38 and the locking pin 42 is thus locked in position in the base cap 30 between the enlarged head 28 of hanging pin 18 and the top of the stem 16. When so locked in position, the locking pin 42 prevents the removal of hanging pin 18 from the base cap, as, due to the enlarged head portion 28 thereon, the hanging pin cannot be removed therefrom without being first lowered against the top of the stem 16 and thus moved laterally outwardy of the base cap. If the locking pin 42 is to be removed, however, the arms 64 and 66 can be bent straight and the locking pin then removed outwardly through slot 38. At this time, the locking pin 42 can be reused if so desired.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An insulator and hanging pin therefor, said insulator including a base cap mounted thereon and projecting upwardly therefrom, said cap having an enlarged internal recess therein, an upwardly directed reduced diameter bore extending from said recess through said cap, a lateral slot communicating with said recess and bore throughout the height thereof, a passage through said cap diametrically opposed to the lower end of the slot, said hanging pin having an elongated shank and an enlarged head on the lower end thereof, said hanging pin being received within said recess and bore laterally through said slot, said bore receiving said shank and excluding said enlarged head from passage upward therethrough, said head being vertically adjustable to a limited degree within said recess, said head being laterally movable through said slot solely in the plane of the lowermost position of the head within the recess, and locking means positioned within the recess below the head, subsequent to the insertion of the head, for retaining said head in a raised position Within said recess so as to prevent withdrawal of the head through the slot, said locking means comprising an elongated rigid body extending diametrically across said recess, a pair of laterally directed rigid legs on one end of said body extending beyond said recess and into said slot, said slot including shoulder means therein, said legs being engaged behind said shoulder means and retained against movement inward toward said recess, a second pair of generally longitudinally directed legs on the second end of said body, said second pair of legs extending beyond said recess and into said passage, laterally directed shoulder means located at opposite sides of said passage, said second pair of legs being laterally deformed into engagement behind the passage shoulder means for retention thereby against inward movement toward said recess.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said locking means includes a pair of horizontally elongated separate fiat strap-like members, said members being vertically orientated, each member including a straight body portion, a first leg extending laterally outward from one end of the body portion and a second leg extending substantially parallel from the second end of the body portion, said second leg being laterally deformable, the body portions of both members being positioned in parallel abutment with each other and permanently fixed together so as to define the elongated rigid body of the locking means, the first legs of both body portions comprising the firstmentioned pair of legs of the locking means, the second legs of both body portions comprising the second pair of legs of the locking means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,125,064 1/1915 Connell 24874 X 1,725,700 8/1929 Cody et a1. 858 1,910,333 5/1933 Hawley 174-150 2,368,544 1/1945 Hogan 85-8 FOREIGN PATENTS 452,519 11/ 1927 Germany.

583,796 9/1933 Germany.

158,579 2/1921 Great Britain.

LARAMIE E. ASKIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN INSULATOR AND HANGING PIN THEREFOR, SAID INSULATOR INCLUDING A BASE CAP MOUNTED THEREON AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID CAP HAVING AN ENLARGED INTERNAL RECESS THEREIN, AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED REDUCED DIAMETER BORE EXTENDING FROM SAID RECESS THROUGH SAID CAP, A LATERAL SLOT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RECESS AND BORE THROUGHOUT THE HIGHT THEREOF, A PASSAGE THROUGH SAID CAP DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED TO THE LOWER END OF THE SLOT, SAID HANGING PIN HAVING AN ELONGATED SHANK AND AN ENLARGED HEAD ON THE LOWER END THEREOF, SAID HANGING PIN BEING RECEIVED WITHIN SAID RECESS AND BORE LATERALLY THROUGH SAID SLOT, SAID BORE RECEIVING SAID SHANK AND EXCLUDING SAID ENLARGED HEAD FROM PASSAGE UPWARD THERETHROUGH, SAID HEAD BEING VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE TO A LIMITED DEGREE WITHIN SAID RECESS, SAID HEAD BEING LATERALLY MOVABLE THROUGH SAID SLOT SOLELY IN THE PLANE OF THE LOWERMOST POSITION OF THE HEAD WITHIN THE RECESS, AND LOCKING MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN THE RECESS BELOW THE HEAD, SUBSEQUENT TO THE INSERTION OF THE HEAD, FOR RETAINING SAID HEAD IN A RAISED POSITION WITHIN SAID RECESS SO AS TO PREVENT WITHDRAWAL OF THE HEAD THROUGH THE SLOT, SAID LOCKING MEANS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RIGID BODY EXTENDING DIAMETRICALLY ACROSS SAID RECESS, A PAIR OF LATERALLY DIRECTED RIGID LEGS ON ONE END OF SAID BODY EXTENDING BEYOND SAID RECESS AND INTO SAID SLOT, SAID SLOT INCLUDING SHOULDER MEANS THEREIN, SAID LEGS BEING ENGAGED BEHIND SAID SHOULDER MEANS AND RETAINED AGAINST MOVEMENT INWARD TOWARD SAID RECESS, A SECOND PAIR OF GENERALLY LONGITUDINALLY DIRECTRED LEGS ON THE SECOND END OF SAID BODY, SAID SECOND PAIR OF LEGS EXTENDING BEYOND SAID RECESS AND INTO SAID PASSAGE, LATERALLY DIRECTED SHOULDER MEANS LOCATED AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PASSAGE, SAID SECOND PAIR OF LEGS BEING LATERALLY DEFORMED INTO ENGAGEMENT BEHIND THE PASSAGE SHOULDER MEANS FOR RETENTION THEREBY AGAINST INWARD MOVEMENT TOWARD SAID RECESS. 